Friday, October 19, 2018

Brexit exposes the imperious mindset of Fortress Europe

(First published in The Dominion Post and on Stuff.co.nz., October 18.)

Let’s start with a brief
history lesson.

What is now the European
Union originated in 1957 as the European Economic Community. It had just six
members: France, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy.

It began as a customs union
and common market, the aim being to promote free trade and economic
co-operation. Neutralising the historic enmity between France and Germany was a
crucial objective.

The EEC’s founders, eager to
avoid a repetition of the horrors of World War Two, theorised that countries
that were inter-dependent in terms of trade were less likely to start shooting
at each other. And so it turned out.

But the ultimate goal always
involved more than trade. From the start, the concept of supranationalism – the
creation of a multinational political union with broad powers delegated to it
by member states – was central to the EU’s evolution.

Accordingly, the EEC morphed
into the European Union in 1993, reflecting the reality that its interests were
now political rather than simply economic. That was followed in 2002 by the
introduction of a common currency, the euro.

Along the way, membership
expanded far beyond those original six countries. The EU now consists of 28
member states (soon to reduce to 27 with Britain's exit) with a far more diverse mix of ethnicities and cultures than was
originally envisaged.

And as the EU has expanded,
so tensions have emerged – perhaps inevitably, given that many of its member
states have little in common, culturally and historically.

The first fault lines were
exposed during the global financial crisis, which highlighted disparities
between the rich industrial countries of Northern Europe and less resilient member
states such as Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Resentment of their
subservience to dominant economies such as Germany was a key factor in the
emergence of populist nationalist parties in Greece and Italy.

Since then, strains within
the EU have been greatly magnified by conflicting attitudes toward the massive
tide of refugees and asylum-seekers flooding into Europe from the Middle East
and North Africa.

Liberal, affluent Europe, led
by a Germany that is still anxious to atone for Nazism, considers it has a
humanitarian obligation to provide for the newcomers. But dissenting EU countries
such as Hungary and Poland insist on the sovereign right to decide who should cross
their borders.

As a result of these tensions,
nationalism is again on the rise in Europe. It’s not a pretty sight, but it’s
understandable. When push comes to shove, these dissenting countries resent
being subjected to rules imposed from outside.

All this suggests that the
old-fashioned nation-state, forged by its own common history, culture, language and
sense of identity, is not easily erased. This is not what the visionaries who
founded the EU were hoping for, but it’s hardly the first time grand,
idealistic projects have had unintended outcomes.

And then, of course, there’s the
British experience, which tells us a lot about the true nature of the EU and
the imperious mindset of the Grand Viziers who control it.

The British people voted by a
margin of 52 to 48 to leave the EU. Concern about uncontrolled immigration was
one factor, but there was also understandable resentment at being subjected to
an ever-increasing set of arcane rules and regulations imposed by a remote bureaucracy that was seen as un-representative and unaccountable.

Ah, but the men who run the
EU don’t like having their power challenged. They have gone to great lengths to
frustrate British attempts to negotiate a fair and honourable exit. It’s obvious
that they mean to make an example of Britain by punishing the country for its
impertinence.

Their behaviour toward the British
prime minister, the beleaguered Theresa May, has been bullying and vindictive.
The fact that May personally favoured staying in the EU hasn’t saved her from the
taunts of arrogant Eurocrats such as Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, who
humiliate her at every opportunity – even to the point of putting mocking pictures
on Instagram.

The message to other EU
member countries is that they can expect similar treatment should they dare
consider leaving. But the more striking message these men send to the watching
world is that the protection of Fortress Europe takes priority over the democratic right of the
British people to decide their own future.

That surely tells you something
about the monster the EU has become, and how its ideals have been corrupted. As
the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt wryly observed recently: “The EU was
set up to protect freedom. It was the Soviet Union that stopped people
leaving.”

You have to wonder how many countries
would have joined the EU had they realised what it would turn into – a surreal
Hotel California where you could check out any time you like but never leave.

"The British people....understandable resentment at being subjected to an ever-increasing set of arcane rules and regulations imposed by a remote bureaucracy that was seen as un-representative and unaccountable."

Haven't the British always resented 'Mother' Europe over the centuries?

About Me

I am a freelance journalist and columnist living in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. In the presence of Greenies I like to boast that I walk to work each day - I've paced it out and it's about 15 metres. I write about all sorts of stuff: politics, the media, music, wine, films, cycling and anything else that piques my interest - even sport, though I admit I don't have the intuitive understanding of sport that most New Zealand males absorb as if by osmosis. I'm a former musician (bass and guitar) with a lifelong love of music that led me to write my book 'A Road Tour of American Song Titles: From Mendocino to Memphis', published by Bateman NZ in July 2016. I've been in journalism for more than 40 years and like many journalists I know a little bit about a lot of things and probably not enough about anything. I have never won any journalism awards.